"Life flies by and life is precious," he told the commencement audience at the Carrier Dome "Life can change in an instant. And in the past two and a half years of our lives, it is a lesson that my family and I have really taken to our hearts."

On Jan. 29, 2006, while Woodruff was reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces from the front lines, a roadside bomb struck his vehicle and the shrapnel sprayed into his skull. Woodruff, 46, recovered and returned to work at ABC while continuing outpatient rehabilitation.

In February 2007, Woodruff and his wife, Lee, released "In An Instant: A Family's Journey of Love, Courage, and Healing, " their personal memoir about Woodruff's recovery and the medical and family support they received.

Woodruff addressed SU and the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry graduates, whose joint commencement exercises fall on Mother's Day.

He told the graduates about what his 14-year-old daughter Cathryn said about the day Woodruff emerged from his coma:

"The first day he woke up, the life was inserted back into me. And ever since that day, I have woken up too -- opened my eyes -- and now I look at my life in a whole different perspective, a perspective that will never again allow me to get too caught up in material things. Life is way too short, at least that's what I have learned. Do the impossible, have fun."

"You know your generation has the power to direct the future, to change it, to make it better and to stop talking and start walking," Woodruff said. "You have that power. Now go use it wisely and have a blast."

A former attorney, Woodruff received a bachelor's degree from Colgate University in 1983 before earning his law degree from the University of Michigan. He was a standout lacrosse player at Colgate and still holds the career record for goals with 131.

Woodruff and his wife, who also graduated from Colgate, gave a joint commencement speech at Colgate in May 2007.

Woodruff joined ABC News in 1996 and has covered major stories throughout the country and the world: the war in Afghanistan and the fall of the Taliban; the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; and the Asian tsunami. He was named co-anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight" in December 2005 after anchoring that show's weekend edition.

Woodruff's overseas reporting of the fallout from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was part of ABC News' coverage that received the DuPont and Peabody awards, the two highest honors in broadcast journalism. He was also part of the ABC News team that received the DuPont award for its live coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

Woodruff was selected as this year's commencement speaker by a student committee.